Full Circle
by jemb
Summary: Inevitably, things will change. July NJC entry.


You may be wondering what the huge authors notes are about. Stick with me and I'll explain.

Niah1988 and I have so much fun writing for the Cullen's Bull Pen Challenge that we came up with a new type of challenge for writers to try. Each month a different song is selected and the challenge for July is set out below.

_Using the song __**Rain**__ by __**Jon Heintz**__ as inspiration for the mood and feeling of the story, write a Bones fanfic using any characters and any pairings in any situation you choose. _

_You should explain in your authors notes any particular feelings that were evoked leading you to what you have written. Your entry must be posted by 30__th__ July 2007 with NJC in the summary so it can be identified by the judges. The challenge winner will have the pleasure of winning the praise and adoration of the judges. We're broke so we can't send you an actual prize._

The basis of the challenge is to see how music influences your writing and what variety of scenarios can be drawn out of a simple song. So here we go with mine…

_When I listened to this song one word came to mind – Inevitability. I wrote this story based on this word and the feelings of sadness, change and the future that the song evoked in me when thinking about the characters in Bones. _

_It really helps to listen to the song as you read – it can be downloaded for free on myspace by searching for Jon Heintz. _

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Zach was the first to leave and that came as a surprise to everyone. Dr Goodman had once commented that Zach felt comfortable at the institute, then immediately after obtaining his doctorate, he had specified that he wanted to remain at the Jeffersonian. But Zach had never been quite the same after his return from Iraq. He came back physically older by only months, but emotionally older by years. He had seen and experienced more in those few short months than he had in years working with Brennan and the FBI. So, when one year later, he announced he was accepting a lead position in Minnesota at a new research facility, his friends and colleagues were stunned. But when they saw his eyes light up at the idea of working so much closer to his family and knowing the prestige the position would bestow upon him, none could argue with his decision, despite how sad they would be to loose him.

He was gone but they never lost touch with the young scientist. There were weekly email updates, birthday cards and holiday greetings. He returned to Washington D.C once a year in spring to guest lecture at George Washington University and he always used that opportunity to catch up with his old friends. He also came purely for a vacation for a week in autumn. Staying with Hodgins and Angela, for that one week, it felt like old times. But he always returned to his new life, knowing he could not go back to how things had been.

After Zach's departure, life at the Jeffersonian had moved on with only minimal disruption. Brennan acquired a new assistant; a young man who turned out to be very much like Zach. He was eager to learn yet naïve in the ways of the world. He tried but he couldn't quite fit into the established team and everyone felt the awkward moments of tension. For Booth, ignoring the new kid just wasn't as fun as ignoring Zach.

It was Angela who left next, although she didn't go far. She returned to her artistic routes and with Hodgins' support, she opened a small gallery where she displayed her own work along with other local artists. She even had a user friendly version of the Angelator for visitors to create their own virtual art. She and Brennan frequently had lunch together as the Gallery was only a stones throw from the Jeffersonian.

Angela was never unhappy in the lab but her new career path seemed to light up something inside her which was obvious to everyone. There was a renewed twinkle in her eyes and her enthusiasm for life seemed to grow. Her replacement was a computer savvy woman who, unlike Angela, was not as thrown by the morbidity of her work and she excelled at providing visual representations of the victims brought to the Institute by Booth, mastering the Angelator in record time. She and Brennan didn't click other than professionally, but Brennan wasn't looking to replace her best friend, she just needed an accomplished forensic artist to assist her with her work.

Hodgins remained a permanent fixture at the Jeffersonian, content to live his life immersed in bugs, dirt and flora. Aside from Angela, it was his life's passion. He had always known that changes would come and he was making an effort to establish relationships with the new members of the team. But as each day passed, he knew even bigger changes were to come. Anticipation hung in the air like a thick fog and it came as more of a relief than a surprise when it happened.

Three years after Zach left, a year after Angela had moved on, Brennan made the decision to make a change. It was not the result of a life threatening incident that forced her to re-evaluate things, nor were there any dramatic changes in her relationship with Booth. In fact, it was almost like she didn't even make the decision, it just seemed to happen. She didn't want out of their partnership, it was just time to do something different.

Booth had been anticipating it for some time, ever since Zach first left in fact. He knew Brennan had remained grounded in Washington D.C because of the close relationships she had with the people she worked with. With those relationships evolving, it was only natural that she would make changes in her own life.

There was no dramatic move across the country where she would be far from the people she loved. She took a job in New York City, lecturing in Forensic Anthropology as part of the Forensic Science programme at the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences. The position allowed her to bring a new generation of forensic scientists into the world, some of whom she hoped would follow her footsteps into the under represented world of forensic anthropology. She continued to write novels about the life of Kathy Reiches and her FBI partner Andy Lister. It was her way of holding onto the one steady relationship in her life. And she still consulted with local law enforcement and on occasion the FBI, but not to the degree she had with Booth. She could never imagine having a partner other than Booth, nor did she want one, so she kept her involvement minimal, providing what was needed for a case then moving on.

For both Brennan and Booth, the end of their professional partnership had been easier than either anticipated. With them each understanding the reasons for it, Booth had tied up the loose ends with their cases, helped her pack up her apartment, and driven with her and her U-haul to New York City. He stayed three days helping her get set up then with a hug and only a few stray tears, he headed back to his life in Washington.

Booth remained in his position with the FBI, liaising with the new forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian. The new doctor was a far cry from Brennan. He was in his early forties, married with three kids and interested only in the science side of the work. Booth never had to worry about the doctor's safety as he only ventured into the field to retrieve remains.

Booth found the new arrangement hard for some time. Having spent over six years working only with Brennan and her team, to go to work each day and not see her was difficult. He missed the playful banter, the flirting they always denied took place, and the special bond they had formed. But slowly, a new working relationship grew with her replacement and Booth continued to bring murderers to justice.

His relationship with Hodgins also changed. Being his last link to the team that was, Booth spent a lot of time with Hodgins and went from seeing him as the quirky conspiracy theorist turned scientist, to a stand-up guy he could really be friends with. They often went out; to a ball game, for drinks or for dinner after work. Angela joined them at the weekends or when she wasn't working late at her Gallery during the week. It was their way of preserving a part of their past that meant a lot to them.

Even though Booth and Brennan's professional relationship had ended when she moved, their friendship couldn't have been stronger. They talked on the phone several times a week if not more, they sent emails daily, and visited each other regularly. Brennan came down as often as she could break away from work to visit with Angela, Hodgins and Booth. Booth himself would try to get up to New York City once every couple of months where he would usually spend the weekend, sleeping in her spare room. Sometimes he even brought Parker. They would talk about old times, have dinner and simply enjoy each others' company. He never ceased to call her Bones. As he once told her, calling her anything else was just weird.

What surprised both of them was how their relationship evolved. There had always been chemistry between them; a spark that was always just prevented from igniting. But they soon realised that away from the pressures of the job and when allowed to just be friends, that spark, that chemistry they had, seemed to disappear. There were no more lingering looks at each other across the room, no double meanings to anything they said, no hugs that suggested more. Brennan mentioned it to Booth over dinner one weekend. She openly told him that she always wondered if anything would have happened between them, knowing now it never would. She asked him if they had missed their moment. Booth had reached across the table and taken her hand in his, promising her that there was never only one moment for people and everything always came full circle in the end.

It was months later when Brennan was next summoned to the FBI office in New York City to assist with another case. Standing in the Directors' office she was thrown back to the first case she worked on with Booth and how Director Cullen had stared her down, wondering how a squint could possibly work in the field without causing a disaster. She listened half heartedly as the Director talked about the case and the Agent she would be helping. She only began really listening when he said the Agent always insisted on full participation for the people he worked with. Apparently he didn't like being left doing all the grunt work. Brennan had immediately protested that she was not going to go back to field work but she would be happy to examine remains. She was quick to change her mind though.

When the Director looked towards the door, indicating they were not alone, Brennan's heart began to speed up and she turned her head to see who was there, deep inside knowing full well who it was. Leaning casually against the doorframe with one hand in his pocket and the other tossing a worn blue poker chip was Special Agent Seeley Booth. He flashed his infamous charm smile, spoke six simple little words and Brennan knew right then and there that everything had come full circle, just like she had been promised.

"Hey Bones, we got a case."

_So what did you think? Niah1988 and I are so excited about this new challenge. If you guys are too, we'll make it official and set up a forum for posting the challenges and a community to store the entries. Please send a review and let me know if you'd be interested in taking on this challenge next month. _

_If you want to submit an entry for this first inaugural challenge, the song can be downloaded for free on myspace by searching for the artist Jon Heintz. We'd love to see some more entries!_


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